Estratégia de implementação do REACH

O regulamento (CE) nº1907/2006 do Parlamento estabelece o registo, avaliação autorização e restrição das substâncias químicas (REACH - Registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals) (1) e tem como principais objetivos introduzir restrições quanto à exposição a substâncias químicas com vista a proteção da saúde humana e do ambiente e melhorar a competitividade da indústria química na União Europeia, bem como dar conhecimento dos produtos que circulam (2). O REACH é aplicado não só às substâncias químicas, mas também aos produtos e artigos que as comportam. É direcionado com maior impacto aos fabricantes e importadores de substâncias químicas, no entanto abrange todas as categorias da cadeia de abastecimento das substâncias, misturas ou artigos, incluindo distribuidores e utilizadores a jusante. Importa referir que cada cadeia de abastecimento é distinta e cada categoria pode ter um ou mais agentes. A aplicação do Regulamento está a cargo das empresas associadas a cada substância abrangida, tendo a obrigação de atribuir a cada substância os riscos associados ao seu uso, as aplicações para as quais são criadas e qualquer informação importante para o seu manuseamento. Para casos em que a previsão de riscos possa não ser fiável a substância pode estar sujeita a restrições ou autorização. Após a validação do registo, é partilhada a informação em fóruns, de modo a criar uma partilha de informação entre empresas associadas às mesmas substâncias, incluindo as várias categorias da cadeia de abastecimento (2) . Este trabalho pretende ser um contributo para facilitar a implementação do REACH nas empresas, sendo importante conhecer os vários passos que o Regulamento impõe de acordo com as diversas funções de fabricante, importador ou utilizador à jusante

Subcritical water extraction of antioxidants from mountain germander (Teucrium montanum L.)

In the present work, antioxidant compounds from Teucrium montanum were extracted by subcritical water. The influence of extraction temperature and pressure on antioxidant activity of extracts has been investigated in terms of extraction yield (EY), total phenolic content (TPC), and DPPH-radical scavenging activity (DPPH-RSA) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Additionally, the compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The highest EY (42.63%), TPC (174.61 ± 4.09 mg GAE/g DE) and antioxidant activity by DPPH-RSA (176.23 ± 8.76 mg TE/g DE) and FRAP (141.71 ± 5.21 mg AAE/g DE) were seen in extracts obtained at temperature of 160 °C and pressure of 10 bar. HPLC analysis revealed that naringin and gallic acid were the principle antioxidant compounds in subcritical extracts. According to the results, SWE has a great potential in exploitation of natural sources of bioactive compounds and production of pharmacologically-active fractions.The project 6818 – Transnational Cooperation, Agreement between Portugal (FCT) and Serbia (MSTD) is acknowledged. This work was also funded by project TR 31014 financially supported by the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development. Authors are also grateful for financial support from project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000011-311 Qualidade e Segurança Alimentar-uma abordagem (nano) tecnológica. The financial support from FCT/MEC through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 through the project UID/QUI/50006/2013-POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265, is also acknowledged. M.F. Barroso (SFRH/BPD/78845/2011) and Manuela M. Moreira (SFRH/BPD/97049/2013) are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia for their postdoctoral fellowships.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Robô Lego & perturbações do espectro do autismo: uma potencial parceria?

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present difficulties in developing social behaviours, in communicating gestural or verbally, and they may present some repetitive motor activities. The objective of this study was to improve social competences and to enable the transfer of acquired skills of five children with ASD and intellectual disabilities using a low-cost Lego robot as a mediator. The proposed methodology was divided in five phases: Familiarization, Pre-test, Practice, Post-Test and Transfer of Skills. The study ran in two sequential periods at different places. Each of these periods tackled different individual research questions and goals (taking into account the target group). During each period, the proposed methodology had to be adjusted according to the current context. Therefore, different experimental scenarios and corresponding specific goals had to be delineated. Results show that joint attention of the children increased over the sessions; and interaction with the researcher was verified. Furthermore, results show that there was an effective transfer of skills in the addressed case studies. This reinforces conclusions that robots seem, in fact, powerful tools that should be explored concerning this target population. But a more detailed study is required. The proposed methodology can be used by professionals and parents as a complement to common interventions.A perturbação do espectro do autismo (PEA) caracteriza-se por dificuldades no desenvolvimento de comportamentos sociais, na comunicação verbal ou gestual, e pela manifestação de atividades motoras repetitivas. O objetivo deste estudo foi o de melhorar as competências sociais e a transferência das competências de cinco crianças com PEA e deficiência mental associada usando um robô de baixo custo da Lego como um mediador. A metodologia proposta foi dividida em cinco fases: familiarização, pré-teste, prática, pós-teste e transferência de competências. O estudo foi realizado em dois períodos sequenciais em diferentes lugares. Em cada período foram definidas diferentes questões de investigação tendo em conta o grupo-alvo. Os resultados mostram que a atenção conjunta e a interação com o investigador aumentaram ao longo das sessões. Além disso, os resultados indicam que houve uma transferência efetiva de competências nos estudos de caso abordados. Isso reforça as conclusões que o robô da Lego pode ser uma ferramenta adequada a ser explorada com esta população-alvo. No entanto, é necessário um estudo mais detalhado e com uma amostra maior. A metodologia proposta pode ser usada por profissionais e pais como complemento às intervenções tradicionais

Microwave-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds from Morus nigra leaves: optimization and characterization of the antioxidant activity and phenolic composition

BACKGROUND Morus nigra (mulberry) fruit has been reported as a source of bioactive compounds, although information about their leaves is very limited. Usually, they are considered wastes and have been traditionally used only for tea preparation. The main objective of this work was to explore the valorization of mulberry leaves by polyphenols microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) and characterization of their antioxidant activity and phenolic composition. A 23 factorial design combined with response surface methodology were applied to characterize the effect of main microwave parameters on total phenolic content (TPC). RESULTS The optimized MAE conditions were 20 mL of ethanol:water (1:1; v/v), 120 °C, 28 min, 0.414 g and medium stirring speed. Under these conditions, TPC was 19.7 ± 2.0 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) g‐1 dry plant (DP), and antioxidant activity was 15.3 ± 1.0 mg ascorbic acid (AA) g‐1 DP (ferric reduction activity power –FRAP– assay), 18.6 ± 1.3 mg Trolox equivalents (TE) g‐1 DP (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl –DPPH– assay) and 186 ± 15 mg TE g‐1 DP (oxygen radical absorbance capacity –ORAC– assay). When compared with ultrasound extraction and Pharmacopeia reference method, MAE was more efficient, representing a valuable technology. Of the 13 compounds identified by HPLC, the most abundant were rutin, chlorogenic, β‐resorcylic and caffeic acids. CONCLUSION These results indicate that mulberry leaves are of potential interest for agro‐food industries as a new source of natural antioxidants.This investigation is a part of the postdoctoral research by Marija Radojkovic, and she is grateful for financial support by ´the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (Project No. TR 31013); the project 6818 - Transnational Cooperation Agreement between Portugal (FCT) and Serbia (MSTD) is also acknowledged. Authors are also grateful for financial support from project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000011 –311 Qualidade e Segurança Alimentar – uma abordagem (nano) tecnológica. The financial support from FCT/MEC through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 through the project UID/ QUI/50006/2013 - POCI/01/0145/FERDER/007265, is also acknowledged. M. F. Barroso (SFRH/BPD/78845/2011) and Manuela M. Moreira (SFRH/BPD/97049/2013) are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia for their postdoctoral fellowships.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In vivo biocompatibility and biodegradability of dextrin-based hydrogels

The in vivo biocompatibility of dextrin hydrogels obtained by polymerization of dextrin-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (dextrin-HEMA) and dextrin-vinyl acrylate (dextrin-VA) are reported in this work. The histological analysis of subcutaneous implants of these hydrogels, featuring inflammatory and reabsorption events, were carried out over a 16-week period in mice. The dextrin-HEMA hydrogel was quickly and completely degraded and reabsorbed, whereas the dextrin-VA degradation occurred slowly and a thin fibrous capsule surrounded the nondegradable hydrogel. The dextrin-HEMA was degraded after 16 weeks with only mild inflammation and a few detectable foamy macrophages around the implant. These events were followed by complete resorption and no sign of capsule formation or fibrosis associated to the implants. The results indicate that the dextrin hydrogels are biocompatible because no toxicity on the tissues surrounding the implants was found. It may be speculated that a controlled degradation rate of the hydrogels may be obtained by grafting dextrin to HEMA and VA in different proportions.Funding from FCT through POCTI program is acknowledged. The authors Susana Moreira and Rui M. Gil da Costa are recipients of a PhD fellowship from Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal)

Assessment of heart rate in infants from 6 to 36 months old during aquatic activities

Some authors (e.g. Maclaren and Coulson, 1999; Dekerle, 2006) reported that aerobic training has a positive effect on critical velocity in swimming. However, it raises the question whereas this effect is similar among swimmers of different performance level. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the training responses in aerobic parameters (critical velocity and critical stroke rate) in young swimmers of different level during an in-season period of training

Potential of Portuguese vine shoot wastes as natural resources of bioactive compounds

Since annually a high amount of wastes is produced in vine pruning, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of vine shoots from two Portuguese grape varieties (Touriga Nacional - TN and Tinta Roriz - TR) to be used as a natural source of phenolic compounds. To reach this goal, three techniques were explored, namely microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), subcritical water extraction (SWE) and conventional extraction (CE). The phenolic composition of the extracts, antioxidant and biological activities were evaluated by spectrophotometry and chromatography. MAE and SWE produced the highest concentrated extracts. TR vine shoot variety had the highest antioxidant activity and total phenolic (32.1±0.9mggallicacidequivalents/g dry sample), as well as flavonoid content (18.7±1.2mgepicatechinequivalents/g dry sample). For the first time, the biological activity of the vine shoot extracts was tested. Results demonstrated that all of them had antimicrobial potential against different bacteria and yeasts, and the ability of inhibiting α-amylase and acetylcholinesterase enzymes, with MAE TR extracts being the most efficient. HPLC analysis enabled the identification of different phenolic compounds, with gallic acid, catechin, myricetin and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside being the main contributors to the phenolic composition. Portuguese vine shoot wastes could serve as easily accessible source of natural antioxidants for the food or pharmaceutical industries.Manuela M. Moreira (SFRH/BPD/97049/2013) and M. F. Barroso (SFRH/BPD/78845/2011) are grateful for the postdoctoral fellowships financed by POPH-QREN – Tipologia 4.1 – Formação Avançada, subsidized by Fundo Social Europeu and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior. The authors are also grateful for the financial support from FCT/MEC through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 through the project UID/QUI/50006/2013 - POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265; the project 6818 - Transnational Cooperation, Agreement between Portugal (FCT) and Serbia (MSTD) is also acknowledged. This work was also supported by the strategic programme UID/BIA/04050/2013 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569) funded by national funds through the FCT I.P. and by the ERDF through the COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI). The supply of the vine shoots is acknowledged to Sogrape Vinhos, S.A.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genetic transformation of novel isolates of chicken Lactobacillus bearing probiotic features for expression of heterologous proteins: a tool to develop live oral vaccines

BACKGROUND: The use of lactic acid bacteria as vehicles to delivery antigens to immunize animals is a promising issue. When genetically modified, these bacteria can induce a specific local and systemic immune response against selected pathogens. Gastric acid and bile salts tolerance, production of antagonistic substances against pathogenic microorganisms, and adhesive ability to gut epithelium are other important characteristics that make these bacteria useful for oral immunization. RESULTS: Bacteria isolated on de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe medium (MRS) from different gastrointestinal portions of broiler chicks were evaluated for their resistance to artificial gastric acid and bile salts, production of hydrogen peroxide, and cell surface hydrophobicity. Thirty-eight isolates were first typed at species level by PCR amplification of 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacers using universal primers that anneal within 16S and 23S genes, followed by restriction digestion analyses of PCR amplicons (PCR-ARDRA). An expression cassette was assembled onto the pCR2.1-Topo vector by cloning the promoter, leader peptide, cell wall anchor and terminator sequences derived from the laminin binding S-layer protein gene of L. crispatus strain F5.7 (lbs gene). A sequence encoding the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was inserted as reporter gene, and an erythromycin resistance gene was added as selective marker. All constructs were able to express GFP in the cloning host E. coli XL1-Blue and different Lactobacillus strains as verified by FACS and laser scanning confocal microscopy. CONCLUSION: Lactobacillus isolated from gastrointestinal tract of broiler chickens and selected for probiotic characteristics can be genetically modified by introducing an expression cassette into the lbs locus. The transformed bacteria expressed on its cell wall surface different fluorescent proteins used as reporters of promoter function. It is possible then that similar bacterial model expressing pathogen antigens can be used as live oral vaccines to immunize broilers against infectious diseases

Germinação natural de 10 leguminosas arbóreas da Amazônia - I

Germination was studies in ten species of arborescent Leguminosae native to Amazonia: Campiandra comosa var. laurifolia, Cassia negrensis, Crudia pubescens, Machaerium inundatum, Macrolobium acaciifolium, Peltogyne prancei, Pterocarpus amazonicus, Swartzia poltphylla, Tachigalia paniculata and Vatairea guianensis. Under standardized conditions, seven species demonstrated rapid germination (less than 60 days), while only one, Peltogyne prancei, had slow germination (more than 60 days). Five species showed a germination sucess greater than 70%, while the other five surpassed 50%. The highest germination sucess was found in Vatairea guianensis: 91%. The Emergente Rate index (IVE) was higher for the species with more homogeneous germination, the highest IVE was found in Tachigalia paniculata: 2,39; seeds of Swartzia polyphylla were observed to be polyembryonic. Initial germination for six species was epigeal; the other four were hypogeal. Half of the species were shown capable of symbiotic association with nitrogen fixing bacteria of the genus Rhizobium.Os resultados obtidos sobre a germinação de 10 espécies de leguminosas arbóreas da Amazônia (Campsiandra comosa var. laurifolia, Cassia negrensis, Crudia pubescens, Machaerium inundatum, Macrolobium acaciifolium, Peltogyne prancei, Pterocarpus amazonicus, Swartzia polyphylla, Tachigalia paniculata, Vatairea guianensis) demonstraram que 70% das espécies estudadas se enquadram nos padrões de germinação rápida (menos de 60 dias). Apenas Peltogyne prancei aprensentou germinação lenta (superior a 60 dias), em condições padronizadas. O percentual de germinação pana cinco das espécies estudadas foi superior a 70% enquanto que as outras cinco atingiram 50% de germinação total. O mais alto índice verificado foi em Vatairea guianensis - 91%. 0 IVE (índice de Velocidade de Emergência) alcançou maior índice nas espécies de germinação mais homeogênea, sendo o mais elevado o de Tachigalia paniculata - 2,39. Foi observado também que Swartzia polyphylla possui sementes poliembriônicas. A germinação inicial de seis espécies estudadas e do tipo epígeo e das 4 restantes hipógeo. Um percentual de 50% das espécies estudadas mostrou capacidade de se associar simbioticamente a bactérias fixadoras de N2 gênero Rhizobium

Valorization of apple tree wood residues by polyphenols extraction: Comparison between conventional and microwave-assisted extraction

For the first time, the characterization of antioxidant activity and phenolic profile of apple tree (Malus domestica) bark, core and roots was carried out. Phenolic compounds were extracted from the Belgium apple tree wood residues collected at two seasons, namely summer 2015 and winter 2016, using conventional (CE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) techniques. For each extraction technique, the influence of the most important operational parameters, namely solvent composition, extraction time and temperature, on the total phenolic and flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH-RSA) and ferric reducing activity power (FRAP) assays were optimized. The phenolic profile from the obtained extracts was also characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA). Optimum conditions were: 20 mL ethanol:water 60:40 v/v, 20 min, 100 °C, sample weight 0.1 g for MAE and 20 mL ethanol:water 50:50 v/v, 2 h, 55 °C, sample weight 0.5 g for CE. Root extracts obtained by MAE (the most efficient technique) presented the highest phenolic (47.7 ± 0.9 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight) and flavonoid (17.1 ± 0.8 mg epicatechin equivalents/g dry weight) content, and antioxidant activity (28.4 ± 2.0 mg trolox equivalents/g dry weight and 36.1 ± 2.7 mg ascorbic acid equivalents/g dry weight for DPPH-RSA and FRAP assays, respectively), followed by bark and core wood extracts. HPLC-PDA analysis revealed that phloridzin was the main contributor to the phenolic composition representing 52%–87% of the total amount of phenolic compounds quantified, while phenolic acids represents less than 10%. This study reveals the potential of apple tree wood residues valorization through the recovery of phenolic compounds for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio